In brief: Russian guided aerial bombs (KABs) struck a school used for humanitarian aid distribution and a shelter in Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region on Monday, Nov. 2, killing 24 and leaving 27 people missing. President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, which happened only a day after the Oleshky truce ended on Sunday, Nov. 1.
Russian forces struck the settlement of Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region, with at least nine guided aerial bombs (KABs) on Monday, Nov. 2, killing 24 people and leaving 27 others missing.
The strike targeted a school used for humanitarian aid distribution, along with a shelter where residents were hiding.
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Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi reported at 08:09 p.m. local time that the death toll had risen to 24. Earlier in the evening, President Volodymyr Zelensky and the head of Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration Mykhailo Semikin reported 18 dead, which includes at least two police officers and two rescuers from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS).
In total, five people were wounded at the time of the report. The toll could rise as search and rescue operations continue at the site.
“There is no doubt whatsoever: the Russians knew for certain that this is exactly where local residents receive aid every week,” Koretskyi said.
In his latest update, Semikin declared Tuesday, Nov. 3 a day of mourning in Zaporizhzhia region for victims killed in the strike.
Bombs target civilian infrastructure
Russian aircraft bombed the settlement several times on Monday, starting in the morning, around the time locals received humanitarian aid.
According to Koretskyi, residents fled into a shelter after the first bombs hit the school, and Russian forces then struck the shelter itself with nine more aerial bombs.
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“After the first aerial bomb strike, there was a double-tap strike with nine more bombs, specifically targeting the shelter where people were taking cover,” Zelensky wrote in a statement on X.
According to Semikin, Russian forces struck the center of Komyshuvakha with at least nine FAB-3000 guided bombs. In an earlier update at 10:50 a.m. local time, he had reported one person killed and two injured in an attack on the settlement.
Koretskyi said the threat of another strike was hampering the search and rescue effort. Zelensky described the operation, involving the military, rescuers and special services, as “very difficult.”
“Behind every number are human fates,” Semikin concluded, adding that families of the missing were still waiting for news of their loved ones.
De-escalation undermined
The attack came only a day after a localized ceasefire in Russian-occupied Oleshky, Kherson region, ended on Sunday, Nov. 1.
According to Zelensky, the humanitarian operation offered a rare moment of hope that peace might be possible, a hope he said Russia’s latest strikes had undermined.
“With such killings, Russia is sending an absolutely opposite signal – Russia is counting on further killings,” Zelensky said, describing the strike as proof that Moscow does not want a de-escalation nor genuine justice.
He reiterated previous calls for a “strong and tough” response from the world to Russia, as well as continued support for Ukraine.
The settlement has been targeted during aid distributions before.
According to Ukrinform in June, Russian forces struck Komyshuvakha with a drone while humanitarian aid was being handed out, wounding four people.
The latest strike came as Ukraine prepares for trilateral talks with the United States and Russia in Abu Dhabi, which Zelensky previously said could take place as early as Nov. 10.
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